The Truth in the Dare
by Nozomi02
Summary: What's a girl to do when her friends dare her to kiss the wrong man?
1. Kagome

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome giggled like a schoolgirl with her old high school friends. Most of them she hadn't seen in over three years, since graduation. They were all together now for her friend Sango's bachelorette party. Instead of more traditional entertainment, Sango had decided she wanted to relive a simpler part of their childhood. Really, Kagome wasn't surprised at this choice. In spite of her take-no-prisoners attitude; Sango had always been shy around men. That's why Miroku was oddly perfect for her. He flirted and cajoled and teased until he made her respond to him, and didn't complain when that response was a violent slap to the head. Remembering his contented smile while laying nearly unconscious on the ground, Kagome gave another giggle. Sometimes she thought he hoped for that slap to the head.

So now here they were, two nights before Sango's wedding, watching girly movies in their pajamas and snacking on pure sugar disguised as food. When the credits started scrolling down the TV screen, Rin sat up with her customary energy and squealed, "I know what we should do next! Truth or Dare!"

Sango's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Except I think Truth or Dare would be much better with ice cream. Let's make a detour to the kitchen first." Traipsing to the kitchen, they continued to chatter and gossip and generally luxuriate in girl talk. Once everyone was settled back in front of the TV on their sleeping bags and air mattresses, Rin piped up.

"Does everyone remember our old rules?"

"Yep," Kikyo replied, "you're only allowed two truths in a row before you have to do a dare."

"Otherwise it's boring." Sango added, nodding her head in agreement.

"The guest of honor should get to pick someone first, I think." Kagome offered. Inside she was a little nervous. Being an essentially honest person, she had no problem with truth; it was the dares that made her break out into a cold sweat. Her friends could be fiendishly creative, and delighted in making everyone do things outside of their comfort zone. One time in high school, they dared her to sing in the school talent competition. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, except Kagome had never been gifted with a sense of pitch. Embarrassing as it was, she survived by making a joke out of it, adding a funny dance, and speaking the words to the music rather than trying to truly sing them. Afterwards they all went out to a karaoke club, where Sango, Rin, and Kikyo serenaded her (badly) to make her feel better.

Sango picked Rin first, and Kagome got into the enjoyment of the game, laughing and encouraging by turns, depending on what was necessary. When it was her turn, she of course picked truth.

"Have you _ever_ had a true date? With someone other than Hojo?" Kikyo asked with a stern look.

Kagome gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well…no."

"Girlfriend, why not? I know the pickings are slim, but that is no excuse." Kagome thought it very unfair of Sango to claim she had no excuse, when Sango had never dated anyone other than Miroku.

With that in mind, she stuck her nose in the air, 'hmph'-ed at everyone and loftily declared, "That is a separate question."

"No it's not!" Rin shook her finger at Kagome. "It's a related question, which is allowed if the response to the original question was under ten words. Speak up so all of us can hear you."

Knowing she was stuck, Kagome did her best to explain, without revealing the only secret she'd ever kept. "Of the few men who have shown an interest, I just haven't felt that way about any of them."

This time Kikyo scoffed. "What about those that don't show an interest? You are a modern, independent woman. _You _can pursue _them._"

"Guess I'm a modern, independent woman who is also a bit of a traditionalist. Now, it's my turn to pick."

Unfortunately it wasn't long before it was Kagome's turn to answer another question, only this time the question came from Rin. "Okay, so you've never had a true date. Please tell me you have at least been kissed."

The answer to that question made Kagome blush in embarrassment. Who had ever heard of a 21 year old who had never been kissed? Apparently guessing the correct answer from her shame-faced look, Rin's expression morphed from hopeful anticipation to what all her friends called her 'resolve face'. She gave Kikyo and Sango a _look_ that apparently the other girls understood, and quickly moved on with the game, not even stopping to tease.

Most of the time, not being teased would be a cause for celebration, but Kagome knew her friends. If they weren't teasing her, it's because they had something more drastic in mind. And indeed, it was only one more turn before Sango called once again on Kagome, forcing her to choose dare.

"I dare you to go up to Kouga tomorrow and kiss him for at least ten seconds. On the lips. Preferably with tongue."

Kagome paled. "Not Kouga! He'll take it all wrong! I'll never get rid of him!"

"Maybe that will be good for you. After all, I'm glad now that Miroku never gave up on me."

At her friends' eternal and entirely misplaced optimism, Kagome groaned and fell sideways to lay on the floor, trying to muffle her ears to the encouragement coming from all sides, completely unhelpful things like 'make sure you brush your teeth beforehand' and 'don't worry, he'll be happy to catch you if you feel lightheaded afterwards'.

With a half-hearted glare from the depths of her sleeping bag, she said, "If I have to get a restraining order against him, I am never talking to any of you again. Rin, since this was obviously your idea, you're next!"

Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Kagome remained awake, thinking. Her friends couldn't have picked a worse person for that stupid dare. Kouga was thick-headed, stubborn, and arrogant, but worst of all, ever since she slapped him for getting fresh with her in senior year; he'd decided he was in love with her. His arrogance ensured she couldn't convince him of her lack of interest. As soon as she kissed him, he would become a demon on a mission. She wasn't kidding about the possibility of a restraining order.

More than that, though, she didn't _want_ to give Kouga her first kiss, nor did she want it to be part of a dare. What none of her friends knew was her heart had long belonged to someone else. She'd tried to get over it, to move on, because the man in question definitely did not return her feelings and never would. She couldn't help how she felt, however, and even after a three year absence she still hadn't found someone who could push his image out of her heart. That's why she had never had a true date, or a kiss, for Kagome refused to betray her heart, no matter how pathetic she sometimes felt for being such a prude.

Just thinking about him made her breathing less even and her heart pound. He was quiet and abrupt to the point of rudeness most of the time, but with those important to him, he was so attentive and considerate, though she knew people would think her crazy if she ever voiced that opinion out loud. Probably even him. Everyone who knew him thought him cold and uncaring, but she had seen warmth under that frost. It was that warmth that had captured her unsuspecting heart. Sighing slightly, her mind turned towards the first time she'd seen evidence of his better nature.

_She turned the corner to go to her favorite spot to eat her lunch after dropping off her shadow with the teacher. She was one of the volunteers taking around middle school students who would be attending high school next year. It was kind of exciting seeing all the new faces around today, and she was feeling in a good mood._

_That mood declined, however, when she realized her usual spot was taken by a group of these students who were picking on an awkward looking girl their own age. About to step out and interfere, someone beat her to it. _

"_Hn." Somehow he managed to infuse that one sound with mounds of disdain. "It is my experience that such derogatory comments are most informative…about the speaker." Turning his head to look at them for the first time, he treated them with his signature icy glare. "Leave."_

_The group practically fell over themselves to obey his order, except for the poor girl they were teasing, who was subtly attempting to wipe tears from her eyes. Picking up her fallen books and shoving them unceremoniously into her arms, he spoke once more. "Cease this foolishness. The opinion of such ignorant beings matters not."_

From that moment, Kagome slowly became enchanted with his rough kindness, so rarely shown. She never told anyone about her longing, because they would think her crazy. Half the time she thought herself crazy! In all likelihood she was one of those 'ignorant beings' in his view. How could she love someone who thought of her that way? Yet no matter how much she argued internally, her heart knew the truth and refused to waver. And now her friends were trying to force her hand!

Suddenly an idea popped into Kagome's mind, took root, and bolted itself to the floor. It was so bold, so unthinkable, that it couldn't be ignored. It was perfect. It was the simplest solution, and it would take every ounce of her courage to execute. Her love was in town for Sango's wedding. If she didn't want to give her first kiss to Kouga as a dare, then she should simply track down her love and kiss _him_ first.


	2. Sesshomaru

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru was perusing the library shelves the next morning, looking for a suitable book on human customs. For such a simplistic species, they were extremely hard to understand. Unbidden, an image of a woman with laughing eyes and a cloud of rambunctious hair that begged to be tangled around his claws came into his mind and stubbornly refused to be pushed aside. _'Yes'_, he thought, _'especially that one.' _ As always when he felt out of his depth, he armed himself with information. No matter how many books and articles he read, however, it never seemed to help with the infuriating woman.

She first came to his notice when he realized how much of a stabilizing influence she had become for his insufferable half-brother. In her company the whelp became almost tolerable. From that point on, he had begun to subtly watch her. The woman radiated kindness and happiness from every pore. She always smiled, always encouraged, always included everyone in her schemes, and everyone bloomed under her attention. It was annoying; he had tried to tell himself. That denial phase hadn't lasted long. Soon he had begun to crave her attention, the sunshine she spread with her presence. While she had shyly struck up a few conversations with him, he had not known how to respond, and so had not said a word. Unfortunately this caused her to become discouraged and she stopped seeking him out, though she continued to smile and wave from a distance on the rare occasions she caught him watching her. While possessed of almost boundless confidence in his abilities, Sesshomaru was also a realist, and knew that civil conversations were not his forte, particularly with humans.

He didn't understand how one such as her, who thrived so thoroughly in the presence of people, could hold herself aloof with regards to finding a mate. Not once had she shown a romantic interest in anyone, male or female. Though he supposed that could have changed within the last three years since he'd seen her. The separation for college had been deliberate on his part. He had hoped that the intervening years would soften his obsession with her. To his frustration, that had not happened. He would go days, sometimes even a week, without thinking of her, until suddenly she would pop into his mind. Sometimes it would be from a trinket in a shop window that he thought she would like, sometimes from a particularly perfect flower the same color as her eyes. Which left him here, once again resuming his quest for understanding, cursing his susceptibility, and desperately hoping she hadn't entered into a relationship since he'd last seen her.

Then as if his thoughts had conjured her, he looked up at the sound of footsteps, and there she was. She'd matured pleasantly, her body more womanly and appealing, her scent tempting. Eyeing her outfit critically, he decided she'd never looked better. Modest in style, it still fit her closely enough to reveal her shape, and the barest hint of cleavage. Unlike most human women she hadn't put on perfume, and her face was clear of that disgusting makeup favored by most of her kind. Carefully putting his book back on the shelf so as to hide the title, he waited for her to speak.

To his shock she merely walked right up to him, and stared into his face with an assessing calculation that made him both curious and strangely nervous. For the barest moment she frowned, before brightening at the sight of a nearby stool provided for reaching the highest shelves. Guiding it with her foot, she brought it directly in front of him and stepped onto it, bringing her almost eye level with him. Taking a deep breath, she lightly put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him firmly on the lips.

Shocked, his instincts took the opportunity to assert themselves. He plunged his hand into her hair like he had fantasized so many times, and placed the other at the small of her back to trap her against his body. With a light growl of satisfaction, he deepened the kiss, causing her to clutch his shoulders even tighter and open her mouth on a gasp.

She needed air far sooner than he would have liked, but seeing and feeling her so close, panting and with pupils dilated in desire, was a treat in and of itself. All too soon she pulled her hands off his shoulders and straightened from his embrace, though she remained on the little stool. She gave him the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, a smile that made his knees weak, and created suspicious warmth in the region of his heart.

"Thank you." With that and a little wave, she made to step away from him. Before he'd thought about it, he grabbed her wrist to stop her. What was she thinking, kissing him like that and then leaving? There was no way he was going to allow her to escape.

"Why?" Damn his lack of conversational prowess! That wasn't exactly what he needed to know, but he had no idea how to ask.

The desire in her eyes transformed into something else, something softer, as she tentatively stroked one of the stripes on his cheek. "I wanted to. I've wanted to do that for a long time." Once again she moved to leave, and again he stopped her.

"Why now?"

Almost desperate for her answer, not that he'd ever admit that, his hand unconsciously tightened on her wrist. She looked at him as if she could see straight to his soul, and blushed. Entranced, he touched the pad of his finger – mindful of his deadly claws – to her cheek, feeling the heat, the warmth of her presence. Stammering just a little, she replied, "I didn't want my first kiss to be because of a dare."

Drawing a blank, he said, "First kiss?" And after a moment's thought, he added in a more dangerous tone, "Dare?"

Scratching the back of her neck in a show of embarrassment that was endearingly familiar, she gave a small laugh. "Sango wanted to play Truth or Dare during her bachelorette party last night, and they dared me to kiss Kouga."

At the thought of the presumptuous wolf, his eyes flashed red, and a growl escaped that would have sent all nearby library patrons scattering, had there been any. Pulling her off her perch to rest, feet dangling, against his chest, he ignored her small 'omph' in favor of issuing orders. "That is one dare that will never be completed. You kissed _me_, and I am never letting you go." He didn't wait to see her reaction before kissing her once more with every ounce of pent up passion at his disposal. She was _his_, and this was the best way he knew to convince her of that fact. She responded with gratifying enthusiasm, even going so far as to wrap her legs around his hips.

When they came up for air once more, an impish look came across her face. "So, does this mean you like me after all?"

"Woman…" his as-yet-undetermined threat was interrupted by her joyful laughter and a playful tweak of his pointed ear.

Deciding two could play at this game, he threw her laughing form over his shoulder and prepared to carry her to his man-cave, where the true claiming could begin.


End file.
